ONE manager goes in search of history, while the other seeks salvation as Arsenal and Chelsea do battle this afternoon in the FA Cup final at Wembley.

Both have had contrasting runs to this showpiece occasion. The Blues overcame Manchester United and Tottenham, while the north London outfit had a slightly easier route with games against two non-league sides.

It’s been an impressive first season in English football for Antonio Conte. The Premier League title was wrapped up with a couple games to spare and he could become only the second ever Blues manager to win the league and cup double.

Not even the club’s most successful manager in Jose Mourinho managed that across his two separate spells in west London.

However, the Italian will come up against a team that has quite the pedigree when it comes to this particular competition.

The Gunners may have now gone 13 seasons since last being crowned champions of England, but they’ve won the FA Cup 12 times overall — twice in three years — and Arsene Wenger has overseen half of those triumphs.

That’s one more than the legendary Alex Ferguson, meaning he can become the most decorated manager in the competition’s history — claiming the record outright from George Ramsay — if Arsenal emerge victorious.

After finishing outside the top four in the league for the first time since arriving in England way back in 1996, hoisting the trophy above his head for the seventh time would certainly go some way to salvaging what has been a disappointing campaign for the Gunners.

Calling a winner is rather difficult at this point. Both have scored victories over each other this season, in fact it was following Chelsea’s 3-0 loss at Ashburton Grove in the autumn which was the main catalyst for their title win.

Conte reverted to his favoured 3-4-3 system immediately after and the rest, as they say, is history. Thirtyeight games played since then and his side have suffered just four defeats.

Interestingly, three of those have come against fellow London clubs and with Arsenal hitting form at the right time — one defeat in nine since adopting a 3-4-2-1 formation — there’s no reason to feel as if they’re the underdogs.

Where Conte does have an advantage over Wenger is in his team selection. With a lighter schedule than most this season due to the absence of Champions League football, injuries haven’t been much of a problem for the Italian tactician.

Ahead of the final he has a fully fit squad to choose from and the only pressing decision to make is whether to start Cesc Fabregas against his former club or keep faith in the partnership of N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic in front of the back three.

The Spaniard hasn’t been a regular this season, but has made his mark whenever he’s been given a chance, although his lack of defensive awareness could count against him especially if Wenger opts for Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in the free roles behind the main striker.

Speaking of the Frenchman, last weekend’s 3-1 win over Everton came at a cost. Laurent Koscielny is out of the final after his red card, Gabriel Paulista will be absent through injury and there are doubts over Shkodran Mustafi’s fitness.

That’s three central defenders, throwing the formation into question. Does Wenger stick with it and draft club captain Per Mertesacker in for this first start of the season with Rob Holding and Nacho Monreal either side or switch back to a 4-2-3-1 system which looked to have run its course during the business end of the season?

However the Gunners boss decides to set up, he must devise a plan better than the one which was in place to keep Eden Hazard quiet when the Belgian scored a goal of the season contender at Stamford Bridge three months ago.

For those who love historical sidenotes ahead of a final, here’s a couple.

The last time Arsenal lost a competitive game at Wembley, it was in 2009 against whom? Yes, Chelsea thanks to goals from Florent Malouda and, of course, Didier Drogba.

And who was the last team to record a victory over the Blues in an FA Cup final? Correct again, it was the Gunners when the two sides met at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, in 2002 when goals from Ray Parlour and Freddie Ljungberg settled that clash.

Therefore, something has to give this evening. Either Conte claims the trophy and improves his standing with the Chelsea fans, or Wenger etches his name in the record books on what could be his final game in charge of Arsenal.